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Broncos Top Nevada in Crucial Win

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RENO, Nev. - The Boise State volleyball team earned a crucial 3-1 (25-15, 25-23, 19-25, 25-22) win over Nevada on Saturday (Nov. 6) keeping their 2010 Western Athletic Conference tournament hopes alive. The Broncos (18-11, 5-8 WAC) were tied with Fresno State for the No. 6 spot in the WAC standings heading into Saturday's match with the Wolf Pack (13-13, 7-6 WAC) and now hold the upper hand in the standings.

The win marks the most for Boise State since 1998 when head coach Mark Rosen led the Broncos to an 18-9 record. Boise State also tied the 2010 record with Nevada (1-1), avenging their Oct. 7 loss in Boise, Idaho (3-1).

The Broncos fed off their two senior middle blockers Alisha Young and Sadie Maughan to earn the win with Young tallying 16 kills and Maughan 11 kills. Maughan also led the match in hitting percentage (.500, 11-2-18), while Young notched the top mark in blocks with eight (two solo).

Maughan was a big factor in the Broncos' 25-19 first-set win, notching an outstanding .800 hitting percentage with four kills on five attempts. The Broncos jumped to an immediate lead and cruised to a 25-15 win.

In the second set, Boise State and Nevada were tied at 3-3 before Nevada jumped out to a solid lead, holding as much as a four-point cushion on the Broncos. Boise State slowly worked their way back into the match, tying it up at 17-17. Boise State took over with an 18-17 score, but Nevada quickly worked their way back to a 19-19 tie. From there Boise State went up and were able to hold on, closing out the set 25-23 on a kill by Young.

After the intermission, Nevada played Boise State point-by-point to the 8-8 mark before taking over the lead. The Wolf Pack led by as much as seven points (24-17) before Kylie Harrington sealed the 25-17 set win with a block.

The fourth set looked to be a repeat of the third, but Boise State gained momentum late on a Kersti Whitney ace serve to tie the set 18-18. The Broncos' ace was followed by two solid kills by Maughan, carrying the Broncos' energy through to a 25-22 win.

Proving to be big factors in the win were outside hitters Cailin Fellows and Fiona Jones who tallied 11 kills (.375) and 10 kills (.222), respectively. Both Fellows and Jones added three blocks each, while Jones also earned her sixth double-double of the season adding a career-high of 18 digs to her stats. Amanda Remy added 15 digs to the Bronco's defense while joining Young, Whitney and Lauren Hamm in earning the team's four aces on the day. Breann Nesselhuf added 53 assists, three kills, three blocks and eight digs in the win.

Nevada's Harrington led the match in kills with 18 (.213), while Lindsay Baldwin led the team with six blocks. Tatiana Santiago racked up 39 assists, while Nicole Link earned 18 digs to lead the Wolf Pack.

The all-time series moves to a 26-20 record with Nevada holding the lead.

Overall Boise State tallied 61 kills and a .289 hitting percentage, four aces, 64 digs and 22 blocks. Nevada was held to 54 kills (.218), two aces, 59 digs and 15 blocks.

Boise State hosts their final homestand next weekend with three matches.The Broncos play host to Louisiana Tech on Thurs., Nov. 11, followed by a Sat., Nov. 13 match against New Mexico State. They close out their 2010 regular season schedule with their "Senior Night" on Mon., Nov. 15 against San Jose State where they will honor seniors Lauren Hamm, Sadie Maughan and Alisha Young. All three matches will be played in Bronco Gym in 7 p.m. match-ups.